100 BARS MAGAZINE 007 Mar/Apr 2014 | Page 109

g4 T aktive yrone Rollin stage name, Aktive was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in the infamous Watts neighborhood; an upbringing that is evident when observing Aktive’s brash delivery and aggressive style of battle rap. Aktive started battle rapping in 2003 with fellow KrackCity members, Daylyt, Dizaster and Av. He also is member of rap group, “The WattsBoyz”. S av ince 2009 AV has been carving his legacy as a successful producer and writer. He’s able to draw inspiration from Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and the real world, to craft music anyone can relate to. Raised in Compton CA, AV is not a victim of circumstance and he works to push children from that area to be the same. Spreading messages of selfpride, hard work and grades to lead to higher education, AV is indeed ‘The Peoples Champ’. krack city T wenty-five year-old KrackCity group member and emerging battle rapper Darius Taylor — a.k.a G4 — cites Chicago battle rapper Big Kannon as his inspiration, having received his first battle rap tryout through Big Kannon and J Fox in early 2013. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, G4 moved to California when he was 18 years of age. He met with California battle rapper Daylyt while battling in The Jungle battle league, and was dubbed an official member of the KrackCity battle rapper collective. When in the ring, G4 identifies his strengths as: wordplay, schemes and punchlines; and lists his weapons of choice as ranging from similes to double entendres to oxymorons to homophones and other tactics. G4 is focused on a successful future in battle rap. He states, “Three steps to becoming better as a battle rapper: establishing what it is that you want to do, finding out who you want to be and deciding how you are going to present it.” After being released from county jail in 2012, Aktive decided to make a return to battle rap. Having lost close friends to gang violence, Aktive has learned to channel that energy into the trademark street edge he has showcased in states across America; ranging from New York, Connecticut and Georgia, to name a few. Aktive has also released DVDs and music videos with multiple recording artists and is proving to be a great all-around artist.  Spearheading the LMKR (Label Me Krack Rated) movement AV’s music takes us back to the days of NWA. LMKR is a united front that the youth can follow for the motivation they need to be fruitful and